I am a new lurker on this forum, and I have to tell you all how much I enjoy your passion for the small. Im a semi-professional scuba diver...and as a person who works on archaeological sites underwater as well as the occasional submerged cave or cavern, I can tell you that the bitty blade cult is alive and well with gills, as well.
For a diver, a knife is a piece of essential equipment. And while, sure, everyone has seen a Bond girl with some Mick-Dundee -Style dive knife strapped to her otherwise scantily clad hip, in the end, the divers that work in the most challenging environments know that the ultimate dive knife is something quite different. Its small, sharp (though not so sharp that you can slice your air hoses by mistake when you are 200 feet down and narkked out of your mind), blunt tipped (yep, the diving knife is the ONLY knife where youre actually allowed to pry things with it), located somewhere on your upper body where its easy to reach (not on your calf, as cool as it may look) and finally and most importantly, easily and affordably replaceable. You complete countless deck chores with it, you eat with it, you occasionally do first aid with it, you modify your other gear with it, and ultimately, when you get tangled up in a mono-filament jumble at depth and toward the end of your bottle, your life depends on it. Then you drop it over the side by accident and have to buy a new one.
Of all the pieces of add-on gear one can carry, most experienced divers will agree that a wee little knife tucked in your wetsuit sleeve or clipped to your harness is the most indispensable. Its lovely to live in a community where sensible, bitty knives...and common carry of such knives, is considered so essential...I realize that even in Texas this isn't necessarily the norm.
But thats not what Im here to tell you about. Elseways why would I be on the Traditionals page, eh?
As a kid and a teenager, I tried to carry a knife, but never did manage to make it a habit. Dads knives or granddads knives or brothers hand-me-downs...but thats only during the field season, which is about 3-6 months of the year. During the rest of the year I am a professor, a researcher, a suburbanite...and I discovered something interesting of late. Though I never managed to make a habit of knife carrying as a kid, when Im in the field, my knife rarely leaves my side, and proves its utility over and over and over. When I wasnt in the field, I started to keenly feel its lack. Who the heck of my housemates moved my scissors? (Probably me.) How is one supposed to cut meat with the crappy steak knives provided by the roommate with no appreciation for good steel? Why the heck would someone put so much duct tape on this package that its impossible to open with my keys?!?!
As a result, a couple of years ago, I tried to deploy the first EDC of my adult life...I went out and bought a yellow-handled Case Slimline Trapper that represented only a small investment and felt oh-so-good in the hand. Unfortunately, this one, too, ended up getting set aside, for reasons that Ill attempt to unpack.
Im sure you all know this, but women are at a disadvantage from the very beginning when it comes to carrying a knife. Most of them (believe it or not) see the utility and would probably quite cheerfully carry, but even a fairly humble Barlow or Stockton (or my little Slimline Trapper, for that matter) will be hard pressed to fit comfortably into the STUPIDLY designed hip pocket of a well-fitting pair of womens jeans. And thats IF I am even wearing pockets...after all, I wear a dress the majority of the time. I dont know whose damned fool idea it was to design dresses such that they didnt often include pockets, I wish I could go back in time, find them, and gently or less gently show them the error of their ways. Of course, there is the option of the purse carry...but to me a knife in a purse is more-or-less useless...hard to lay hands on when its needed in a pinch and easy to lose in the resident detritus.
I still use the heck out of that Slimline trapper, but owing to the fact that it is a shade too long to be comfortably carried on my person, it goes in my briefcase, pack, purse, or checked bag. I was lucky...before knowing ANYTHING about Case I managed to, by chance, get one with an excellent fit. I love that knife...and with its simple finish and design it is darn nearly indestructible, which is exactly what I need.
Im not sure when I had a lightbulb moment, but eventually I did...I started thinking a lot more about the principles of diving, and the ever-desirable itty bitty blade that is easy to carry, and easy to place on the upper half of the body, and easy to forget about until its needed. And to that end, I finally managed to find a knife that seemed counterintuitive in its tininess but has ultimately proven to be a winner: the Case Baby Doc in Damascus
(http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz132/lauragwhite/Docsknife.jpg)
Im surprised to not see more of these Doctors knives kicking around...the antique look of them really appeals to me, despite the fact that they have a formal feel in the hand. Also the spatula blade has proven dead useful, though I never imagined how I would use one till I had it.
This little damascus knife is perhaps not as replaceable as my little dive knives were (though I DID get good value on it)...but BECAUSE I am an archaeologist, I bought it in appreciation and celebration of the value of things well made, ancient technologies, and ultimately, things that are beautiful in both form and function. Walk through any museum of technology and youll understand that our ancestors were better at this than we are...at building beautiful things that would serve a purpose for years to come.
This has become my primary EDC...infinitely well-suited to my stupid lady pockets. The shield on mine was a tiny bit loose when I got it...I decided to take that as a fortunate accident, worked it the rest of the way loose, had it engraved with my initials, and re-installed it backward. It's my friend now.
I still have one problem, though...its those dress-wearing, pocketless days. In deference to the Cult of the Peanut I keep reading about, I decided to try something new, and put it on a long chain for an entirely different kind of neck knife
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz132/lauragwhite/peanut.jpg
So far, its been a fun experiment. Most days it sits out of sight below the neckline of the outfit of the day, and rather comfortably *ahem* pillowed, but I love that it is so much more THERE when I need it than a purse knife. I dunno if your lady friends would like it as much as I do...it does represent a fairly bulky necklace. But its been fun, absurdly useful, always on hand, and the object of quite a lot of commentary when I DO pull it out.
Anyway. This is a RIDICULOUSLY long first time post.
Thanks for seeming like such a welcoming group of individuals. Hopefully well be seeing more of each other!
For a diver, a knife is a piece of essential equipment. And while, sure, everyone has seen a Bond girl with some Mick-Dundee -Style dive knife strapped to her otherwise scantily clad hip, in the end, the divers that work in the most challenging environments know that the ultimate dive knife is something quite different. Its small, sharp (though not so sharp that you can slice your air hoses by mistake when you are 200 feet down and narkked out of your mind), blunt tipped (yep, the diving knife is the ONLY knife where youre actually allowed to pry things with it), located somewhere on your upper body where its easy to reach (not on your calf, as cool as it may look) and finally and most importantly, easily and affordably replaceable. You complete countless deck chores with it, you eat with it, you occasionally do first aid with it, you modify your other gear with it, and ultimately, when you get tangled up in a mono-filament jumble at depth and toward the end of your bottle, your life depends on it. Then you drop it over the side by accident and have to buy a new one.
Of all the pieces of add-on gear one can carry, most experienced divers will agree that a wee little knife tucked in your wetsuit sleeve or clipped to your harness is the most indispensable. Its lovely to live in a community where sensible, bitty knives...and common carry of such knives, is considered so essential...I realize that even in Texas this isn't necessarily the norm.
But thats not what Im here to tell you about. Elseways why would I be on the Traditionals page, eh?
As a kid and a teenager, I tried to carry a knife, but never did manage to make it a habit. Dads knives or granddads knives or brothers hand-me-downs...but thats only during the field season, which is about 3-6 months of the year. During the rest of the year I am a professor, a researcher, a suburbanite...and I discovered something interesting of late. Though I never managed to make a habit of knife carrying as a kid, when Im in the field, my knife rarely leaves my side, and proves its utility over and over and over. When I wasnt in the field, I started to keenly feel its lack. Who the heck of my housemates moved my scissors? (Probably me.) How is one supposed to cut meat with the crappy steak knives provided by the roommate with no appreciation for good steel? Why the heck would someone put so much duct tape on this package that its impossible to open with my keys?!?!
As a result, a couple of years ago, I tried to deploy the first EDC of my adult life...I went out and bought a yellow-handled Case Slimline Trapper that represented only a small investment and felt oh-so-good in the hand. Unfortunately, this one, too, ended up getting set aside, for reasons that Ill attempt to unpack.
Im sure you all know this, but women are at a disadvantage from the very beginning when it comes to carrying a knife. Most of them (believe it or not) see the utility and would probably quite cheerfully carry, but even a fairly humble Barlow or Stockton (or my little Slimline Trapper, for that matter) will be hard pressed to fit comfortably into the STUPIDLY designed hip pocket of a well-fitting pair of womens jeans. And thats IF I am even wearing pockets...after all, I wear a dress the majority of the time. I dont know whose damned fool idea it was to design dresses such that they didnt often include pockets, I wish I could go back in time, find them, and gently or less gently show them the error of their ways. Of course, there is the option of the purse carry...but to me a knife in a purse is more-or-less useless...hard to lay hands on when its needed in a pinch and easy to lose in the resident detritus.
I still use the heck out of that Slimline trapper, but owing to the fact that it is a shade too long to be comfortably carried on my person, it goes in my briefcase, pack, purse, or checked bag. I was lucky...before knowing ANYTHING about Case I managed to, by chance, get one with an excellent fit. I love that knife...and with its simple finish and design it is darn nearly indestructible, which is exactly what I need.
Im not sure when I had a lightbulb moment, but eventually I did...I started thinking a lot more about the principles of diving, and the ever-desirable itty bitty blade that is easy to carry, and easy to place on the upper half of the body, and easy to forget about until its needed. And to that end, I finally managed to find a knife that seemed counterintuitive in its tininess but has ultimately proven to be a winner: the Case Baby Doc in Damascus
(http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz132/lauragwhite/Docsknife.jpg)
Im surprised to not see more of these Doctors knives kicking around...the antique look of them really appeals to me, despite the fact that they have a formal feel in the hand. Also the spatula blade has proven dead useful, though I never imagined how I would use one till I had it.
This little damascus knife is perhaps not as replaceable as my little dive knives were (though I DID get good value on it)...but BECAUSE I am an archaeologist, I bought it in appreciation and celebration of the value of things well made, ancient technologies, and ultimately, things that are beautiful in both form and function. Walk through any museum of technology and youll understand that our ancestors were better at this than we are...at building beautiful things that would serve a purpose for years to come.
This has become my primary EDC...infinitely well-suited to my stupid lady pockets. The shield on mine was a tiny bit loose when I got it...I decided to take that as a fortunate accident, worked it the rest of the way loose, had it engraved with my initials, and re-installed it backward. It's my friend now.
I still have one problem, though...its those dress-wearing, pocketless days. In deference to the Cult of the Peanut I keep reading about, I decided to try something new, and put it on a long chain for an entirely different kind of neck knife
http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz132/lauragwhite/peanut.jpg
So far, its been a fun experiment. Most days it sits out of sight below the neckline of the outfit of the day, and rather comfortably *ahem* pillowed, but I love that it is so much more THERE when I need it than a purse knife. I dunno if your lady friends would like it as much as I do...it does represent a fairly bulky necklace. But its been fun, absurdly useful, always on hand, and the object of quite a lot of commentary when I DO pull it out.
Anyway. This is a RIDICULOUSLY long first time post.
Thanks for seeming like such a welcoming group of individuals. Hopefully well be seeing more of each other!
